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A pint of beer could provide your body with the vitamin B6 which has a wide range of health benefits, a new study has found.
Many of the raw ingredients used to make beer, which include wheat, barley and brewer’s yeast, contain B6 which is good for your brain, blood and immune system.
The research has found that a serving of beer could meet around 15 per cent of your daily B6 requirement, while non-alcoholic beers have the same effect.
However, a nutritionist warned against viewing alcoholic drinks as a “key source of nutrients” and encouraged people to consider their overall diet.
Good sources of B6 include meat and fish but it can also be found in breakfast cereals, chickpeas and porridge.
open image in gallery Findings are only useful for ‘consumers who want to optimise their vitamin intake’ ( PA )
The study, which has been published by the Agricultural and Food Chemistry journal, tested 65 different beers that were bought from supermarkets in Germany.
It found that traditional German bock beer had the highest level of B6 due to its relatively high alcohol content, followed by lagers, dark lagers and wheat beers.
An average lager in the study provided 20 per cent of the dietary allowance for the vitamin, while one non-alcoholic beer provided nearly 59 per cent.
The research found that a litre of beer can contain between 0.3mg and 1mg of B6, with the recommended daily allowance for men being 1.4mg a day, and women being 1.2mg.
The study author Professor Michael Rychlik siad that the vitamin content is a measurable amount, but not enough for regulators to allow for an advertising sticker.
The findings are useful "only for consumers who want to optimise their vitamin intake", he adds.
Bridget Benelam, from the British Nutrition Foundation, said: "We wouldn't suggest that beer or any alcoholic drink is seen as a key source of nutrients. That should be from diet," she says.
"Unless you are eating a very restricted diet, it's unlikely that you are not going to be getting enough vitamin B6."
Being deficient in B6 is rare given its widespread nature in food sources, but levels can be low in some individuals which can cause tiredness.
Ms Benelam also focused on consumption of other important B vitamins such as B12 and B2, which is found in dairy and animal products.